oDesk has put me under supervision based on negative feedback from clients even though my rating is 4.77. One client said that he already had 700 words. When I looked at what he wrote, it was on a sixth-grade level. No research, statistics, compelling copy, SEO keywords, etc. So I had to start from scratch. I ended up acting like a tutor. Another client loved my work but kept disappearing. I asked for her website address, information about her company, etc. She let another week go by then disappeared again. I could go on and on. I think that clients who use the content mills do believe that they can get stellar writing for peanuts. I believe these incidents are blessings in disguise. I’ve had my wake-up call. I follow top-notch bloggers and copywriters and hone my skills continually. It is up to the freelancer to determine his standards and ultimately his worth.

Hi, not trying to being rude or anything, but if you’re planning a career in writing, you might want to check your spelling and/or grammar before putting it out there. Just saying…again, it trying to be rude or mean. I wish the best of luck to you! I too, am trying to get some writing gigs, and just starting out. I have no idea where to even begin. With that said, I think constructive criticism is a good thing, that if we take need to, can help us out in the long run. If anyone has any constructive criticism or constructive advice for me, please comment. Thank you!

Kelly, I 100% agree with you about staying away from content mills. I would add staying away from Yahoo! voices too for the low pay along with some of the shady posts on Craigslist (although I do sometimes find gigs worth going for). I’ve also had some luck with Ebyline, and a string of luck lately approaching businesses directly about blogging for them resulting in multiple and ongoing work for at least $50 per post.
Although very little data are available for this work-at-home job since it is relatively new, thousands of listings for social media managers can be found on sites like CareerBuilder.com, SimplyHired.com, and Upwork.com. If you have a demonstrated command of social media and a sizable following, you might even be able to get started by reaching out to companies directly and asking if they need help.
I know what you're thinking, but it's true – teaching English online absolutely belongs on a list of easy online jobs. If you’re a native speaker of English, you are most likely able to teach conversational English as a Second Language with any number of online companies. This is because your students are using your native speaking performance as a basic lesson itself and any more formal lesson is layered on top of that.
This post has been SO helpful! I love it! Thank you for all your insightful tips and tricks! I am currently in the process of starting up my own website for blogging, and when I learned about freelance writing I knew I had to try it out! So I just have one question for you, would you suggest having a blog while freelance writing? Maybe as a way to provide a little extra work for clients to refer to as sample work from me? I was originally going to blog and go the advertising route to provide an income off the blog, but freelance writing seems much more interesting to me.
Thank you so much for this information. I’m currently a massage therapist and pregnant with my first child. Knowing I’ll need extra income for baby expenses has me searching for alternative ways to make money before the baby arrives. I’ve always enjoyed writing and hope to finish my first book within the next two years so getting paid to write seems fabulous. From the tips you’ve provided, my first steps will be to google “publication pay submission”, check Craigslist and Sophie Lizard’s newsletter. I look forward to getting back to you shortly with an incredible praise report!! Thanks again!!

Do you find yourself constantly feeling busy? Or, maybe you feel like you have too much on your plate? Perhaps you have a to-do list with no end in sight, or many responsibilities to juggle on a daily basis at work. When you get home, you have household responsibilities to take care of, too, and it just seems like you never have much time for a breather.

How to Get It: Begin with sites like UserTesting.com, YouEye.com and Userlytics.com. Register with multiple companies for opportunities to test as many websites as possible. Once you're in the system, you'll be emailed when testers are needed, and if you're one of the first to respond, expect to spend 15 to 20 minutes completing the test. Many sites require a microphone and/or webcam, which are built into most laptops—but if you need to buy one, they aren't expensive. The tester sites typically pay within a week or two via PayPal.
Hello, I'm looking for help with tutoring my sons to help along their communication skills. They were born premature and are coming alone slowly as far as ABC, 123, colors, shapes and writing. They are 2 and 3 going on 3 and 4. The father and I work most of the time, and try when we can, but would like a little more help. Also we will fund trips to museums, and other informational festivities that you may have in mind!
Elna, thank you for this wonderful article. It is full of resources, and it has motivated me to begin work as a freelance writer. I am currently a single parent of two witty little boys, who works full time outside of the home. In reading this article, I have found a renewed strength and a bit of a push to move forward with optimism to start little by little until I am able to eventually work more time from home. I appreciate you sharing this information.
FlexJobs, the Boulder-based remote-friendly career postings site, is cutting through the complexity of this question. Each year, they compile a list of the top 100 companies hiring remote workers. This year, though, they’ve created a special list of all the companies who have made their top 100 lists for each of the past five years. While many companies require you to clock in and out each day, the employers on this list don’t care whether you do your work from Santorini or Shanghai.
I am so glad to run across fellow writers who value what they do and will stand up and say so. Far too often we get treated like the “red headed step children” of the creative industries and many of us allow it. I tried ODesk and was not only appalled by the pay rates, but by the attitude of many clients. One of them even said outright that we should be grateful to make five dollars an article (for well researched, 1,000 word pieces) and how their last writer was far too “uppity” for his tastes. Well now, I posted a response that I cannot quote in polite company. LOL. So, thank you, your voice is much appreciated.
Oh! That sounds horrible and there are so many “promising” sites that should be trashed. I started out writing for a website, not quite as bad as that one, but making just a few dollars for rather long articles and no byline. The amount of time I spent researching and writing meant that I’d make a dollar or two an hour. Ha! I was young and desperate though – would never do it again ! I’m the managing editor for ArchiExpo e-Magazine now and spend part of my time researching freelance journalists. The website needs to be catchy and informative, with writing samples easy to access. I always advise my friends, who wish to get into freelance writing, to create a great website and put forward their experience.
I’m 17 (living in the UK) and I really love the idea of being a free lance writer or something similar. However I’m concerned that I should have different aspirations? I mentioned it to my friend but she said that I should be thinking about a job that is a bit more stable. I still live the idea of free lance writing though as writing has always come very naturally to me. I’m in my final year of collage ( what you guys would call high school?) And I’m not sure what the most useful thing for me to do next would be. Do you have any ideas about what kind of degree I could do at university or useful stuff I could do in a gap year, or even right now? Thanks you!
I am looking for an excellent and experienced blog writer who also must love cats to write for my company's blog on an ongoing basis. We are a pet sitting company that caters exclusively to cats in the San Francisco Bay area (www.comfortedkitty.com). I am looking to have fresh and unique content that helps increase our business visibility in our service areas, especially those we are struggling to gain clients because they simply don't know that our company exists and gladly serves their area. And of course to give helpful information to prospective customers. Obviously content needs to center around cat-oriented topics. So someone very knowledgeable with cats is preferred in order to supplement my knowledge and ideas for blog topics.
Sound up your aisle? Fill out an application through the site, which pairs brides and bridesmaids based on personality and location. You could make between $200 and $2,000 per month, says Glantz, working anywhere from a few hours a month to a couple of hours a week, and you'll generally handle everything on nights and weekends. Most projects—er, weddings—require between 3 to 11 months of your time.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom who hasn’t done any office work in a while or you’re 18 and just started college, you may worry the work-at-home life isn’t for you. Not because you don’t have the time or the temperament. But because you’re worried you don’t have enough experience to land a work-from-home job or, if you do, that the work won’t be easy enough to slip in around a long day with the kids or all your classes.
Editor of Splashpress Media, Noemi used to be an English teacher before going freelance full-time. She has a penchant for words and likes to play around with them - the result of a lifetime of burying her nose in books. Having been bitten by the travel bug, she aims to discover more languages & places in the near future as she continues to do what she loves most - writing.
I appreciate the idea behind this, but I’d like more information on where these jobs can be found. I am a writer and would like to do freelance writing work, but while you mentioned that there are such jobs available, there wasn’t much to say where to find those jobs. I’ve tried to seek them out before, and done writing for places where I got paid (usually not very well), but many of those have dried up or weren’t much to begin with. Are there suggested places to go to do some freelance writing? I’d love to ditch my poorly-paying job, where I have to spend a lot of time away from my family, and do something I actually enjoy doing. Thanks.I read 10-20 books per year, write almost every day, but I am having trouble knowing what the next steps are to building my credentials, especially without a degree, prior payed experience, or a high volume of readers to my blog. I really just want one simple freelance gig, but I can’t seem to land one. I feel like I’m on a raft in the middle of the ocean!
More than ever, writers are needed to formulate news articles, create content, and come up with the creative ideas that fill the pages of nearly every site on the Internet. And although many bigger sites have in-house writers, a growing number of sites outsource their content and hire freelance writers and content creators. Writing experience is very helpful, but what you really need to get started are drive, ambition, and the ability to find a unique angle on events that happen every day.
Hi, I'm try to find a tutor Reading and Pre Math for my son. Age 12 in 6th grade. He's been held back once. My husband and I aren't the best at being patient. He has a few special needs. He's bipolar has a quick temper and quite to cry. And give up. I would like to hire someone to help him 1 to 2 times a week. I'd prefer someone I can take him to and I can sit quietly and wait.
From caterers to bands to florists, saying “I do” is big business. And now there’s a new niche in the $58 billion wedding industry that could score you a little dough. Bridesmaid for Hire provides professional services for brides. While some of the tasks involve helping out on the big day (or even standing with the wedding party as an actual bridesmaid), many responsibilities are handled remotely via emails and social media.

GlassDoor estimates that teachers at Tutor earn $9 to $14 an hour. “Depending on the subject mix and number of hours you work, you could make between a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per month,” Farrar says. Chegg’s rates start at $20 per hour, estimating that tutors can make up to $1,000 a month. WyzAnt’s rates run $24 to $36 per hour, according to GlassDoor.

As a transcriptionist, you will transcribe either video or voice recordings into written words. Although medical transcription is what usually comes to mind, the fact is that there is now far more need for general transcriptionists. With businesses and bloggers turning increasingly to podcasts and video to reach their audiences, these mediums are often turned into written content for marketing purposes or training materials.
For experienced musicians, aspiring computer scientists and sports coaches, Superprof’s platform is a great way to meet students and develop your home tutoring companies. By creating your tutor ad, you’re increasing your visibility across the UK and our sites around the world! Collect testimonials from past and present students and watch your lesson requests sky rocket.
Sound up your aisle? Fill out an application through the site, which pairs brides and bridesmaids based on personality and location. You could make between $200 and $2,000 per month, says Glantz, working anywhere from a few hours a month to a couple of hours a week, and you'll generally handle everything on nights and weekends. Most projects—er, weddings—require between 3 to 11 months of your time.
Students enrolled in an art program can use their creative skills to design logos and graphics for various companies. You may be able to find a part-time position with a single company to provide graphic design services, but it’s also possible that you’ll be able to make more with a more flexible schedule if you contract your services out to several different companies at once. Upwork and Freelancer.com are great starting points for this type of job.
To get hired, you fill out an application and take an exam to test your knowledge. “If you pass, you go through a mock session with an experienced tutor who assumes the role of student and evaluates your creativity, empathy and teaching skills,” says Cindy Hamen Farrar, Ph.D., senior director of academic tutoring at Tutor. “We look for people who know their subject matter and who can break it down and communicate effectively.”

I actually want to reply to David Russell but can’t seem to. David, you should write to the editor of MedicalExpo e-Magazine and propose your journalism services. Take a look at the magazine first (emag.medicalexpo.com) to see what they’ve recently published, get an idea for the kind of info, and pitch a potential story. I know the editor and they pay well.

If you were not able to find luck with the list of jobs I have presented above, visit FlexJobs. This job site has been rated by the Better Business Bureau with an A+. They even provide a money-back guarantee in case you are not satisfied with how they deliver their service. FlexJobs assures that every single work posted is hand-screened to check its legitimacy. This is a fantastic method to find legit home-based jobs without the worries of handling scams.

Hey, Elna! I appreciate your input more than you can imagine. I graduated with a BFA in Creative Writing for Entertainment, and while my focus is mainly writing scripts for film and commercials, I also blog. (Mostly for my own entertainment.) Still, it’s good to know there are ways to get going. Believe me, I’ve tried. But being a graduate with two kids and no hubby makes the task a bit daunting when I’m a “lone pilot.” Thanks again for your inspiration.

Being busy is good, it’s better than not having anything to do and letting time slip away. But, what many people don’t realize is, being busy doesn’t always mean you’re being productive. The more time you take to complete something does not equal to more success. Many people end up falling into this trap as they pack their day with tasks and errands that may sometimes produce little outcome or output for the effort that they’ve put in.

Think long and hard before shelling out any money: Some work-at-home jobs will require you to purchase materials or equipment to get started, and while that doesn’t mean they’re not legitimate, it should be a red flag. If you are asked to pay for equipment, make sure you understand what you’re buying, and from whom. Also ask about the return policy for your equipment if your new gig doesn’t work out.

I have found this to be one of the easiest and most fun ways to make money today including people with no writing experience at all. I find this job very easy, practical and flexible. I get to spend more time with my family and hangout with friends, and still have time for my other hobbies. Plus, the compensation is extremely overwhelming. No one will ever think that you work at home with your pay! You can have this life too. Start NOW by clicking here.
Currently I am in high school and working a part time job, I probably only work an estimated 8 hours a week though. I have been longing to be a writer for quite some time, I’ve been wanting to be a freelance writer but sadly, most of the sites that pay you require a credit or debit card and I do not own one. Is there any freelance writing jobs that would possibly pay me in cash or something along those lines?

Transcribe Anywhere is a great course for aspiring transcription professionals looking to turn their work-from-home dreams into reality. The course covers the essential technical skills every transcriptionist needs, including time-saving tools to boost your efficiency. You’ll also learn how to find work and build your at-home business from the ground up. Get started with a free introductory transcription course by following the link above.

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By far this is the best and most informational site I have found thus far, I have trouble trying to narrow down my niche , I also read on another freelance writing blog, that knowing marketing strategies, and things like SEO is needed to be successful. I am pretty good at writing but I don’t know about online, especially for blogs and companies. I mostly like to write fiction story’s and academic papers. I have noticed that the better paying jobs are copywriting, writing or starting a blog and jobs like that. Do your course help to write better, as well as help with narrowing down a niche? Some of the information out here is so confusing. Thank you so much in advance!
There are over 600 of these posts. New blog posts go up once or twice a week. If you don't want to miss any of them, you should either sign up for my twice weekly update newsletter that will send you links to any new blog posts (along with some bonus legit online jobs), or sign up to the email RSS — which means you'll get each blog post sent to your email in it's entirety not long after it goes up.